Boggin' It

Trip Start Jan 12, 2008
1
7
15
Trip End May 10, 2008


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Flag of New Zealand  ,
Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sunday:  Went to the beach with friends.  It was windy and the water here is really cold so we just did some sunbathing.  You definitely need to lather on the sunscreen or you'll burn in 5 minutes!  Even though the water's too cold to swim in, there's plenty of other things to keep you entertained.  People play rugby, there's kite-boarders (people on large skateboards cruising on the sand powered by the kites blowing in the wind), seagulls are everywhere--they're entertaining if you're not the one they're hassling for food.  You can walk for hours on the beach and come across all sorts of shells, sea plants, and bright blue jelly-fish.  There's surfers, boogie-boarders, and kite flyers.  There's also the pier, a library, and plenty of cafes and fish-and-chips places. 

Super Bowl MONDAY:  The big game was on here at noon on Monday.  An American friend and I planned to meet up at "The Holy Grail" to watch the game At the Beach
At the Beach
 .  Thinking we'd be the only people in the bar, I was extremely surprised to get there and see the bar was PACKED with at least 300 people or more.  I couldn't believe it!  We watched the game on a 15 foot screen--go Giants!  Afterwards we went and ate at The Bog, the Irish Bar I wanted to get a job at.  Talked to the manager over his smoke break and in 5 minutes I had a job, starting the next morning.

Tuesday:  Without much training, just jumped into the waitressing job.  This is working out much better than the marketing job.  The staff I work with are so fun and friendly.  I love the atmosphere!  Every night there is live music.  Tuesday's always has a 20 piece band of every sort of instrument playing Irish music all night long.  The bar gets so packed that I have to crawl over people just to get back to the kitchen.  It's busy and fast-paced, but I like it.  Considering its location, the majority of the customers are travelers.  It's a challenge to understand all the different accents and choice-words.  I get made fun of regularily for a lot of things I say.  It's not a schedule, it's a roster.  It's not a tablet, it's a docket.  It's not silverware, it's cutlery.  There's so much to get used to, but that's what I'm here for--the challenge! 

It's not customary to tip in New Zealand so the way they do things at The Bog are entirely different from what I'm used to Beachin'
Beachin'
 .  We all wait on all the tables since you're not working for tips.  So one person might take the drink order, someone else the food order.  Everyone runs the food and just EVERYONE DOES EVERYTHING!  Personally, I think this makes for really poor service because you have no way of knowing who's done what unless you can see it or they tell you.  It's just a little less structured than what I'm used to.  Check out the website for more pics/info etc.  http://www.thebog.co.nz/christchurch/

Wednesday:  Today was a national holiday--Waitangi day; it celebrates the signing of the Treat of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document signed in 1840.  Most people get the day of of work.  It is also Bob Marley's birthday so a group of us went to the beach where a small "One Love" festival with reggae music was held. 
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